44: Chapter 44 Scorpion Valley Hunt

The deeper they went, the higher the temperature rose, until even breathing carried a burning sensation.

The surviving Lin family guards, along with Liu Yiyi and Chen Feng of the Green Wood Sect, were all forced to circulate their True Essence to protect their bodies in order to withstand the intense heat.

Ye Chen, however, felt exceptionally comfortable.

The Ice Fire True Essence, which had been preliminarily harmonized within his body, greatly increased his adaptability to this extreme environment.

The black tortoise armor against his chest transmitted a gentle, cool sensation, filtering out the heat waves from the outside.

It left only pure Fire Spiritual Qi, which he slowly absorbed to temper his body and Meridians.

"Ahead lies the valley that the Loose Cultivator mentioned."

Scarface lowered his voice, pointing toward a narrow valley entrance ahead.

From within the valley, a teeth-gritting "rustling" sound could faintly be heard, and a fishy, foul stench drifted over with the wind.

Everyone held their breath and focused, using the rugged, strange rocks as cover to approach the valley entrance.

Looking inside, they saw that the valley was not large but very deep. At the bottom of the valley was a massive cave, and scattered around the entrance were pale white bones and some broken weapons.

A dozen giant scorpions, the size of calves, with crimson bodies and shells glistening with a metallic luster, were crawling near the cave entrance.

Their massive pincers opened and closed, making "click-clack" sounds, and their tail hooks were raised high, shimmering with a ghostly blue toxic light.

They were Earth Fire Scorpions!

The largest one among them was the size of a small elephant, its shell a deep red nearly turning purple, and its aura was ferocious. It was clearly a Tier 2 Yao Beast, the Earth Fire Scorpion King!

"There really is a Scorpion King!"

Lin Dong gasped, "Judging by this aura, I fear it is approaching the Middle Stage of Tier 2! It won't be easy to deal with!"

Scarface's expression was grave.

"Ordinary Earth Fire Scorpions are one thing, but this Scorpion King has a hard shell, infinite strength, and a poison hook that kills instantly upon drawing blood. Furthermore, it can control Earth Fire, making it extremely troublesome."

Ye Chen carefully observed the distribution of the scorpion pack and the state of the Scorpion King.

The Scorpion King seemed to have just finished feeding and appeared somewhat lazy, dozing on a huge crimson rock while the other scorpions patrolled the surroundings.

"A direct confrontation is not the way," Ye Chen said in a low voice.

"We need to take it by strategy. Big Brother Scarface, take your people and ambush on the rock walls on both sides of the valley entrance. Prepare logs and boulders to block the retreat path and snipe the ordinary Earth Fire Scorpions. Brother Lin, Miss Liu, Brother Chen, follow me into the valley and try to lure away the ordinary scorpions. I will deal with the Scorpion King."

"Brother Ye, dealing with the Scorpion King alone is too dangerous!" Lin Dong urged anxiously.

Liu Yiyi also showed a look of worry.

"It is fine; I have my own measure of control," Ye Chen said, his tone calm but carrying unquestionable confidence.

"The Scorpion King's intelligence is low. Relying on my movement technique and the black tortoise armor, I can hold my own. You only need to help me clear out the minions and prevent them from interfering."

Seeing that Ye Chen had made up his mind, Scarface no longer hesitated.

"Alright! We shall follow Young Master Ye's plan! Everyone must move quickly; we must strike true in one blow and then retreat immediately!"

With the plan decided, everyone immediately separated to act. Scarface led his men to silently climb the rock walls on both sides of the valley entrance and prepared the boulders.

Ye Chen, Lin Dong, Liu Yiyi, and Chen Feng crept into the valley like civets.

The four held their breath and used the shadows of the rocks to slowly approach the scorpion pack.

When they were about thirty zhang away from the scorpion pack, Ye Chen gave Lin Dong a look.

Lin Dong understood. He took a deep breath and suddenly threw a pebble, hitting a rock in the distance and making a crisp sound!

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"

The few patrolling Earth Fire Scorpions were immediately startled, turning vigilantly toward the source of the sound and crawling over quickly.

Now is the time!

Ye Chen's figure moved like lightning, bursting out from his hiding spot and lunging straight at the dozing Scorpion King!

While in mid-air, the ice scar sword was already unsheathed, and a condensed blue Sword Qi tore through the air, carrying a bone-chilling cold as it slashed toward the Scorpion King's relatively fragile compound eyes!

"Hiss—!"

The Scorpion King was awakened by the fierce killing intent and let out a sharp hiss, its massive pincers suddenly raising to block!

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing exploded!

Sparks flew everywhere!

The Sword Qi struck the hard pincers, leaving only a white mark, but the extreme cold contained within caused the Scorpion King's movements to stiffen slightly!

"Do it!" Ye Chen shouted sternly!

Meanwhile, Lin Dong, Liu Yiyi, and Chen Feng also charged out from different directions, their swords flashing as they attacked the ordinary Earth Fire Scorpions whose attention had been diverted!

Liu Yiyi's Green Wood Sword technique was agile, Chen Feng's blade technique was fierce, and Lin Dong's sword momentum was sharp, instantly entangling five or six scorpions.

On the rock walls at the valley entrance, Scarface saw that the time had come and waved his hand: "Release!"

"Rumble!" Dozens of huge boulders rolled down from both sides, smashing toward the valley entrance, instantly blocking the retreat path and crushing a few slower-reacting Earth Fire Scorpions into meat paste!

The sudden attack threw the scorpion pack into chaos!

The Scorpion King was completely enraged, its other pincer carrying a foul wind as it viciously snapped toward Ye Chen's waist and abdomen!

At the same time, its tail hook, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, stabbed toward Ye Chen's face with lightning speed!

Ye Chen had been prepared. He pushed his "Mist Transformation Steps" to the limit, his figure twisting like a ghost, narrowly avoiding the pincers and the tail hook.

The ice scar sword followed the momentum and slashed down, striking the Scorpion King's hard back shell!

"Sizzle!" A stream of sparks erupted, leaving only a shallow mark on the shell!

What hard defense!

"Hiss!" The Scorpion King, feeling pain, became even more berserk, opening its mouth to spew a stream of scorching dark red flames!

Where the flames passed, even the rocks began to melt!

Ye Chen dared not take it head-on. He tapped his toes and retreated rapidly, while the black tortoise armor flashed, a yellow light halo protecting his entire body.

The flames crashed against the light halo, making a "hissing" sound. Although it was blocked, the terrifying high temperature still caused Ye Chen's blood to churn.

"I must attack its weak points!"

Ye Chen's eyes were sharp, locking onto the relatively soft segments of the Scorpion King's abdomen and its mouthparts.

He held nothing back, driving his Profound Ice True Essence to the limit. The ice scar sword turned into streaks of blue afterimages, attacking precisely those areas!

Although the Scorpion King had powerful defense and immense strength, its movements were relatively clumsy.

Relying on his exquisite movement technique and speed, Ye Chen was like a maggot on a bone, circling and attacking it constantly, his cold Sword Qi continuously eroding its shell and joints.

Occasionally, when he was struck by the pincers or the wind from its tail, he would withstand it with the black tortoise armor and his formidable Physical Body, though his blood would churn for a moment.

On the other side, the three of Lin Dong were also locked in a bitter battle.

The Earth Fire Scorpions were numerous, their shells hard and their poison hooks fierce. Although the three cooperated tacitly, they could only barely hold them off, facing danger at every turn.

Liu Yiyi's arm was grazed by a scorpion tail and immediately turned pitch black. Fortunately, Chen Feng promptly gave her an antidote pill, which suppressed the poison.

"I cannot drag this out!"

Ye Chen knew that he had to finish this quickly.

A cold light flashed in his eyes. He exposed a flaw, intentionally letting the Scorpion King's pincer strike his left shoulder!

"Bang!"

The black tortoise armor flashed wildly. Ye Chen used the force to drift backward, his throat tasting sweet as he forcibly suppressed the blood surging up.

The Scorpion King, thinking it had succeeded, pounced excitedly, opening its mouth to bite!

Now is the time!

Ye Chen's figure folded eerily in mid-air, advancing instead of retreating!

Within his body, the Ice Fire True Essence was circulating and compressing in an unprecedented way!

On the ice scar sword, blue cold light and a trace of imperceptible red light intertwined and wrapped around each other, emitting an extremely dangerous aura!

This was his initial attempt to fuse the Profound Ice Origin with the newly absorbed Fire Spiritual Qi. Although it was immature, the power was absolutely terrifying!

"Ice Fire... Slash!"

He let out a low roar, man and sword becoming one, transforming into a red and blue intertwined stream of light. With a speed that surpassed vision, it instantly pierced into the Scorpion King's wide-open maw!

"Pfft—!"

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull sound, like a red-hot branding iron being inserted into ice water!

The red and blue stream of light pierced through the Scorpion King's mouth and exited from a weak spot in its back shell!

The Scorpion King's massive body suddenly stiffened, its movements freezing.

In its cold compound eyes, it was filled with unbelievable terror.

The next moment, two diametrically opposed yet equally overbearing forces of extreme cold and extreme heat erupted within its body!

"Crack... Boom!"

The Scorpion King was instantly frozen from the inside out, and then exploded from within!

Its hard shell shattered inch by inch, mixed with ice shards and charred internal organs splattering everywhere!

The massive body crashed to the ground, twitched twice, and then fell silent.

Tier 2 Yao Beast, Earth Fire Scorpion King, dead!

Silence!

The entire valley instantly fell silent!

Even those ordinary Earth Fire Scorpions that were crazily attacking the three of Lin Dong seemed to have been pressed with a pause button, freezing in place.

They looked fearfully at the youth in green robes standing beside the Scorpion King's corpse, sword in hand.

"The... the Scorpion King is dead?"

Chen Feng opened his mouth wide, unable to believe it.

Lin Dong and Liu Yiyi were also stunned, looking at Ye Chen as if looking at a monster.

That was a Tier 2 Yao Beast! Equivalent to a human in the Wheel Sea Realm!

It was actually killed by Ye Chen alone?

Although he used a strategy, this strength was simply too terrifying!

"What are you still standing there for! Clear out the minions!"

On the rock wall, Scarface was the first to react. He shouted, led his men to charge down, and attacked the ordinary Earth Fire Scorpions that had lost their leader and fallen into chaos.

Having lost the Scorpion King, the remaining Earth Fire Scorpions had no will to fight and were quickly cleared out by the group.

The battle ended, and the valley was in a mess, filled with the smell of char and stench.

Everyone looked at Ye Chen, their eyes filled with awe. Especially Liu Yiyi, whose beautiful eyes shimmered with brilliance, her heartbeat involuntarily accelerating.

Ye Chen exhaled a long breath of turbid air mixed with ice shards, his face somewhat pale.

That risky strike just now had almost drained most of his True Essence, and the consumption of his mental energy was also immense.

He walked to the Scorpion King's corpse, used his sword to cut open its skull, and took out a demon core the size of a pigeon egg, red as fire, and emitting pure Fire Spiritual Qi.

He also removed its hardest tail hook and a portion of the intact back shell.

"The mission is complete, let's retreat quickly! The commotion just now was too loud; I'm afraid it will attract others."

Scarface looked around vigilantly.

Everyone nodded, quickly cleaned up the battlefield, collected the valuable scorpion materials and a small amount of high-quality Fire Flame Crystal Ore found in the Scorpion King's cave, and immediately retreated from the valley.

Half an hour later, the group found a hidden cave to rest.

Ye Chen held the Earth Fire Scorpion King demon core, feeling the surging Fire Spiritual power within it, and a satisfied smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

With this item, the tempering of the black tortoise armor and his own cultivation of Ice Fire balance would take a solid step forward.

And the Molten Fire Abyss no longer seemed so out of reach.